


Marigold

by engineblade



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, Mental Health Issues, idk why it says 1/1, nothing too triggering but Noct is depicted as having depression and PTSD so do bear that in mind, there will be more, this is ongoing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 15:54:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17531729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/engineblade/pseuds/engineblade
Summary: Noctis likes to look at pretty things but he thinks that maybe Prompto is the prettiest thing he's ever seen. Possibly.





	Marigold

**Author's Note:**

> _wildflowers at the side of the road,_   
>  _caught my eye and turned my heart to stone._   
>  **wildflowers ― joyce manor**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> complementing [**playlist**](https://open.spotify.com/user/sonicrave/playlist/7s8NcAVGd1g4uee3yPTaXW?si=BXmHNjOzSf-WFvEcgpk_MQ) for the fic.

Noctis fidgeted where he stood behind the register. He still had two hours left of his eight-hour shift, but time seemed to be passing slower than molasses. He'd already finished arranging all seven orders the shop had received, but his boredom had him itching to create a bouquet of his own. Might as well pass the time, huh?  
  
One benefit of working at a flower shop your father owned meant being able to go home with the merchandise. Noct's apartment made fallout from a bomb drop look tidy, but at least he always had a fresh flower arrangement on the kitchen counter to dress up the place.  
  
Upon first meeting Noctis, most are shocked to find out he works at Aulea's, and even more shocked to discover he's the heir to the company. Noctis always feels embarrassed when people gasp and widen their eyes, but then his major seems less surprising when the connections are made. Noctis grew up surrounded by flowers, and before his mother died they always went to green houses and public gardens and on exotic vacations just for the ecotourism.  
  
Noctis first reached for a bundle of sylleblossoms, smiling as the flowers pulled a memory of a trip to Tenebrae to the forefront of his mind. Wedged between his mother and father, Noctis had met Luna and her family - dear friends of Aulea's. "You see those beautiful blue flowers, Noctis?" his mother wondered excitedly. "Those are sylleblossoms. Native to Tenebrae, and my favourite flower!" She plucked one from its root and handed it to Noctis. "They represent hope and new beginnings." It was fitting that the logo for the shop named after his mother would feature the Tenebraen plant, and Noctis had always felt drawn to it himself. He slipped the bundle into bouquet paper and found himself some baby's breath to fill the arrangement. It was a simple bouquet and not at all up to the shop's standard, but Noctis didn't want to rob his place of work, whether his family owned it or not. He was on his way to tuck the bouquet in the backroom when the entrance bells chimed announcing the arrival of a customer. In a panic, he nearly dropped the flowers when he spun around to call a greeting to the customer. "W-welcome!"  
  
The customer at the door also seemed rather panicked, but more in the "I'm lost" sort of way and not the "I just got caught doing something I'm technically not supposed to" sort. "Anything I can help you with?" Noctis gently placed the bouquet on the cash counter and wiped his hands on his apron.  
  
"Yeah…" the customer started. Their face was flushed, causing their freckles to stand out. They sounded out of breath, too - had they run here? "I, uh… Need some… Flowers."  
  
Noctis almost cracked a smirk, raising a brow. "You're in the right place," he offered instead. "Are they for something in particular?"  
  
"My friend got hit by a car," the customer deadpanned, blond bangs slightly covering a violet eye. Noctis' own eyes went wide, mouth opening to offer words of condolences until the other quickly added, hands raised, "He's okay! He's actually sort of a dumbass and it's entirely his fault and - that doesn't matter. I just feel bad that he's the only one on his floor without a vase."  
  
This was the most interesting thing that happened to Noctis all day. He could tell this person didn't know much about flower arrangements - not that most of his customers did - so he knew he'd have to keep things simple and guide the other to a decision. Usually, people came in with a plan: weddings, birthdays, holidays, etc. It wasn't every day Aulea's served a flustered blond guy that Noctis was actually intrigued by. "Your friend have a favourite colour?"  
  
The blond pondered that for a moment. "Honestly? We've never really talked about that much. Blue, maybe? I don't know though, he's a pretty tacky guy. Got anything gaudy?"  
  
Noctis wasn't quite sure how to put his finger on a "gaudy" flower, at least not in the sort of way the blond's friend might be thinking, but he had a few ideas for a gaudy arrangement. Clashing colours, no real focus, minimal filler. He was determined to go all out for the first customer they'd had in 4 hours. "How about we do an arrangement of a couple flowers that'll make the end result, uh… Gaudy."  
  
The other nodded emphatically; clearly, he'd resigned his fate to Noctis and would probably buy whatever Noct whipped up for him. Noctis found it particularly amusing that the blond hadn't gone the lazy route and picked a premade bouquet - no, he wanted a custom-made arrangement for his friend. Interesting.  
  
Noct decided to stick with yellows, reds, and oranges - very eye-catching and over-the-top colours, and leave no room for the usual fillers. Noctis reached for orange tiger lilies, yellow snapdragons, red chrysanthemums, and even grabbed a grape hyacinth to place in the middle. "Your friend likes blue, right?" He tied a bright turquoise ribbon around the bouquet paper and handed it off to the customer.  
  
"Thanks, man," the blond heaved a relieved sigh, "you're a lifesaver. You guys take debit?"

Noctis watched the customer race down the street toward the hospital and university district and wondered what kind of character the blond's friend must be to have a friend spend that much on a bouquet he didn't even arrange himself. He finally smirked. What a weird guy. 

The last two hours remaining of Noct's shift finally ticked past, and nothing remotely interesting happened since the freckled blond customer left. He swept fallen leaves and petals, counted the cash, wiped down the counters, and ensured all the plants that needed watering had been watered and still managed to have time left to kill. He spent the last hour on his phone, tapping away mindlessly at a mobile game he'd recently become addicted to and checking his messenger app. He had a few unanswered messages - he was bad at responding to people - that he thought maybe he could reply to. Two from Gladio, one from Ignis, a few from Luna, and one from Dad. Dad made him too anxious to answer, and Gladio was probably only sending a meme. Ignis was most definitely reminding Noctis of something he most definitely forgot about, so he decided to check up on Luna.  
  
**Luna [4:42 PM]:** How's school going this semester?  
  
**Luna [4:42 PM]:** You're finally in programs you enjoy, right? ^^  
  
Noct grinned, quickly typing up a response.  
  
**Noct [6:37 PM]:** yup. art history & biodiversity  
  
**Noct [6:37 PM]:** matches made in heaven  
  
**Noct [6:38 PM]:** still got no idea what im gonna do after grad  
  
**Luna [6:39 PM]:** There's no rush, Noctis. I'm sure you'll think of something - maybe even a way to combine the two! Or not at all. The future is full of opportunity.  
  
Luna always had a way with calming Noct's nerves; it was easy for him to get riled up and lost inside his own head, but his childhood friend was always able to pull him out. Post-grad was a pretty big anxiety for Noctis, but Luna helped to put that at ease, if only a little. He was still in second year - he had loads of time to figure out a plan. Besides, he always had owning the flower shop chain as a fallback plan.  
  
**Noct [6:41 PM]:** i know ur right… thanks luna ♥️  
  
**Luna [6:43 PM]:** Of course! ^^  
  
**Luna [6:43 PM]:** I think I'm going to get myself ready for bed now, Noctis. I'll talk to you tomorrow! ♥️  
  
It's gotta be close to midnight in Tenebrae, right? Noct tsked; he always forgot about the time difference. He frowned.  
  
**Noct [6:43 PM]:** sleep well!  
  
He had 20 more minutes to kill, but he wasn't sure if he was in the mood to deal with the other unanswered messages. Sighing, Noct returned to his mobile game, eyes insistently flicking toward the clock so as not to miss closing time.

His apartment door finally swung open at 7:30 and Noctis couldn't wait to settle into his room with the takeout burrito he got on his way home. It was a Friday night and what was Noct planning on doing? What any university student should be doing - relaxing. He was gonna watch some mindless comedy series on Netflix, eat his burrito, maybe play a video game, and most definitely sleep. At least, that was the plan until his phone rang. He quickly swapped his old flowers out of the vase and placed the new ones in before answering.  
  
He checked the Caller ID and saw it was Gladio which reminded Noct he never replied to the text his friend sent. Or any of his texts - save for Luna's - for that matter. Oops. After a few rings, Noct hesitantly answered the call, "What's up, Gladio?"  
  
"You didn't answer my or Iggy's messages, as per usual, so I figured I'd try and see how calling you instead would go."  
  
"Yeah…" Noct rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I just got in. What d'you want?"  
  
Gladio snorted, but Noct knew he wasn't irritated - Noct was infamous for not answering his texts, after all. "Iggy and I wanted to pull you out of your hobbit hole and get you out on the town for once."  
  
Noctis sighed. "I'm kinda tired today, Gladio. Maybe some other time?"  
  
"That's what you said last time, Noct." This time, Ignis spoke. Noct groaned upon the realization he was on speaker phone. "We're a little worried, that's all. It's important for you to socialize and be with friends once in a while, you know."  
  
"I just got home from work, guys. It's been a long day."  
  
"All the more reason to come out and enjoy yourself. C'mon, Noct. We're picking you up in at 8, so get yourself ready!" Gladio's gruff voice was the last thing Noct heard before the call ended. They were really giving him no choice here - no room to make up an excuse about homework or feeling sick. His friends meant what they said, and Noct knew they'd be here in exactly an hour. Sighing, Noct unwrapped his burrito and stuffed it into his mouth. So much for a night alone with easy comedy and a gaming session. What was so great about socializing, anyway? The crowds and noise of Friday nightlife always stressed Noctis out - it was hard to hear the people you were with over all that sound, so what was the point? Noct knew Gladio and Ignis would be dragging him out to some bar downtown and he really did not care for that scene at all.  
  
Noctis also knew, however, that there was no use in dreading the inevitable, so he resigned himself to his fate and finished off his dinner before getting out of his work clothes and throwing on the cleanest-smelling shirt he could find.

Surprisingly, Gladio and Ignis didn't drag Noctis to a bar - they decided to hit up an escape room instead. The remaining heat of summer was apparent in the September night air; Noctis had to roll the sleeves of his flannel up to accommodate for the warmth as he and his two friends made their way down the street to the escape room place. The room they picked out was a murder mystery - they were acting as detectives at a crime scene in a billiards room attempting to discern who the culprit was before they struck again. It was on the easier side of the difficulty scale, but Noct found it interesting enough. "It's like real-life Clue," he muttered to himself, though Gladio heard and snorted.  
  
Miraculously, they were able to solve the mystery in record time and were asked for a photo to put on the place's hall of fame wall for their accomplishment. Noct posed awkwardly between Ignis and Gladio who had their arms rested on his shoulders, Gladio grinning stupidly. They stuck the photo up on the wall before they left and walked down the street once more.  
  
"Where to now?" Noctis asked, hoping they'd all decide to go home, but he knew better than to assume his friends would let him go that quickly.  
  
"I'm kinda hungry," Gladio offered, "isn't there that student café that's open late a couple blocks from here? They've got a good club sandwich."  
  
Ignis hummed. "I could certainly go for a coffee."  
  
Noct laughed, "I swear, Iggy, your blood is probably just liquid caffeine." Then, he shrugged. "Guess I'm down for that, too."  
  
Satisfied, Ignis smiled. "It's settled then."

The coffee shop was moderately filled with students clacking away on laptops or chatting in small groups. The trio managed to snag a table near the bar, to which Gladio and Ignis both urged Noctis to place their order for them, despite how much Noctis hated doing exactly that.  
  
"Do I have to?" he groaned, but Noct was already standing up and getting his wallet out. He didn't mind paying for his friends, but did he have to talk to the blond guy working the cash register, too?  
  
Wait a minute. That coif of blond hair was strikingly familiar, as were the freckles and violet eyes. Suddenly, Noctis was dreading going up a little less. Or maybe he was dreading it even more. Resigning himself, he sighed. "Whatever, but you both owe me."  
  
The line wasn't too long, so Noct only had a short wait before he was reacquainted with his customer from earlier. "Hey," he started.  
  
"Oh how the tables have turned." The blond joked with a grin. Noct's eyes wandered to the name tag pinned to the guy's apron: Prompto. His name was framed with chocobo stickers. "It's flower guy!"  
  
Noctis blushed. "Yup, that's me," he muttered back sheepishly. "Didn't realize you worked here."  
  
Prompto nodded. "Yeah, I got a call while on shift so I took my lunch break to get Dino - oh, my friend - some flowers and pay a visit. The idiot had me as his emergency contact, apparently. Guess he doesn't know anybody better in Insomnia to be the person the hospital calls." He rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling.  
  
Noct couldn't help but offer a smile himself, the guy's energy was pretty contagious. "How's he doing?"  
  
"Not too bad. Got a broken arm but he should be out soon." Prompto smiled brightly, pressing into the cashier. "So, what can I get you?"  
  
Noct couldn't help but think of Prompto as a marigold, a flower associated with the light of the sun. Prompto was maybe the brightest person he'd ever encountered, and it was almost infectious. Almost. Awkwardly, Noct placed his order. "Uh… Big guy over there wants a club sandwich and a medium iced tea. Specs wants a large black coffee and a cheese scone." Noct scratched his head. "Guess I'll have a medium caramel latte with extra syrup and, uh…" He looked into the dessert case. His mouth nearly watered. "A slice of strawberry cheesecake."  
  
Prompto nodded along with the order, presumably punching each order in. "No problem! That'll be… $23.87!"  
  
Noctis tapped his credit card to the machine and was about to head back over to his friends at the table until Prompto asked, "Can I get a name for the order?" He had a glint in his eye, but Noctis couldn't quite place it.  
  
"Oh, uh, Noct is fine."  
  
"Noct…" Prompto contemplated that for a moment. "Short for something?"  
  
Noct nodded. "Noctis."  
  
Prompto grinned. "Cool! I'll call you when your order's up. See ya around, Noct."  
  
Noctis ignored the weird way his heart froze at the sound of his name as he rejoined his friends.  
  
"A friend of yours?" Ignis looked up from his phone as Noctis took a seat across from him.  
  
"Customer," Noct clarified. "Came in earlier for a hospital arrangement."  
  
Ignis' eyes widened ever so slightly. "My condolences."  
  
Noct shrugged. "He said his friend's an idiot and that he's okay, so don't worry about it."  
  
Gladio guffawed, then his expression turned serious. "It's nice to have you out with us, Noct. Been a while."  
  
Noctis sighed. Here we go. They had this sort of intervention every so often - his friends would drag Noctis out, claim he was lonely and depressed, and try to solve it. Sure, Noctis was taking medication and seeing a therapist every so often, but he wasn't in a slump. At least not right now. He was just tired from school and liked to keep to himself to recharge. "I'm fine guys, really. Maybe a little tired, but that's usual for me, right?"  
  
"Have you considered finding yourself a roommate yet, Noct?" Ignis questioned. So they were jumping right into that today.  
  
Noct tried to seem unbothered, but in truth he was a little irritated that his friends didn't trust him being alone. "Dunno," he answered, "kinda like having my own space."  
  
Ignis hummed, mulling it over. Prompto called for the order then, and Ignis nudged his head in the direction of the bar. "Keep thinking on it, will you?" He offered. "You know you're more than welcome to move in with Gladio and I. I'm sure Gladio won't mind converting the workout room into a bedroom for you again." Gladio nodded in agreement.  
  
"Nah, I'm good, guys." Noct stood up from the table to retrieve their orders. He knew the conversation was only on hold, but at least he'd have a short escape.  
  
"Hey, again," Noct greeted, reaching for the tray of drinks and bag of food.  
  
"Hey, hey," Prompto replied. The line had died down, and it seemed like Prompto had some time to kill. The blond wiped his hands on his apron. "So a florist, huh? Pretty cool gig."  
  
"I like flowers," Noct admitted, ears immediately flushing red. It was embarrassing to own up to that. "Kind of a family business, though."  
  
"Kind of?" Prompto tilted his head.  
  
Noctis chewed his lower lip. "Dad owns the Aulea green house chain," he answered quietly.  
  
Prompto's eyes widened. "No way, dude! That's so cool. Did you, like, grow up surrounded by flowers and stuff? No wonder you knew so much!"  
  
People never seemed this interested in the family business or in Noct's own knowledge, so it was mildly refreshing and a little overwhelming to have someone so intrigued. Noct looked at his hands. "Yeah, my mom was the reason behind it all."  
  
Prompto's expression softened, smile turning contemplative. "That's really swee-"  
  
"Prompto! We have customers, you know!" a voice called as the doorbells chimed. The blond deflated.  
  
"Yikes, better get going…" He lifted his hand to wave goodbye. "Stop by again though!"  
  
Noct smiled and nodded before bringing his friends the food. He sat back down and distributed the orders, quickly busying himself with his latte and taking a bite out of the cheesecake.  
  
Gladio grunted, unwrapping his club sandwich. "You're eating takeout every night and I bet you haven't done laundry in two weeks." It was like they literally paused the conversation and Gladio abruptly pressed play. Noct had whiplash.  
  
Gladio wasn't wrong though, and Noct would never own up to it, either. "I cook sometimes!"  
  
Ignis raised a brow. "I'd love to see that. Mind if we visit for dinner one night, then?" He took a sip from his coffee.  
  
"Sure," Noct replied haughtily. He stabbed his fork into his cheesecake and took an aggressive bite to punctuate his point.  
  
Ignis seemed satisfied with that. "Good, how about tomorrow?"  
  
Now Noct was getting suspicious. "I have to deal with you two goons two nights in a row? I'll pass." Why were his friends on his ass so hard today?  
  
"Can't wait," Gladio smirked.  
  
Noct groaned. "You're both annoying."  
  
"But you love us," Gladio retorted.  
  
Noctis took a long sip of his drink "Debatable."  
  
The topic of Noct getting a roommate and being lonely was ultimately dropped and they carried on bantering until they'd finished their meals and went their separate ways. Noctis was asked to text Ignis when he got home, to which Noctis sighed but agreed.  
  
"You know I worry," Ignis explained softly, and Noct just waved him off.  
  
On his way out of the coffee shop, however, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When Noctis spun around, he was face-to-face with the bright-eyed blond. "Hey!" Once again, he sounded out of breath. He still had his apron on, too, all covered in stains and stickers. "Do you have a sec?"  
  
Noct blinked stupidly, forgetting how to speak. He simply nodded, stunned.  
  
"I have this photography project coming up," Prompto explained, "and your flower shop would be the perfect set! We gotta do close-up nature shots and I was hoping it'd be okay to stop by and take some photos. If it's okay, I mean!"  
  
Noctis smiled softly. "Sure, I'm in again tomorrow. Same closing shift."  
  
Prompto beamed. "Perfect! I'll stop by around noon before my shift if that's okay?"  
  
"Yeah, that's fine."  
  
"Awesome! Take care, Noct!"  
  
There was that frozen-feeling in Noct's chest again. He ignored it and waved, turning to walk toward his apartment. Today had been quite the day for Noctis, and he was ready to end it with a video game and a good night's sleep. When he woke up this morning, he certainly hadn't anticipated meeting an out-of-breath blond buying flowers for his dumb friend in the hospital, then running into him again at his workplace only to make plans to meet up again at Aulea's. It was a little exhausting, but in an almost exhilarating sort of way. Chuckling softly to himself, Noct walked home.

**Author's Note:**

> oh wow hi! thank you for reading. i haven't posted something in like. a really long time. in fact i've deleted everything i've written so this is gonna look like my first piece! this fic is pretty self-indulgent and i don't have a schedule or anything (i'm a mentally ill student myself so please be patient) but i do have a plan for it!
> 
> you can reach me on twitter @aerialdive if you wanna chat or ask me questions or anything! stop by again sometime.
> 
> also ao3 kind of screwed with my formatting


End file.
